Search This Blog

Add This Great Work to Your History Bookshelf

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The more I study American history, the more I realize how
little I really know. I just completed Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals
in which she explores the inter-workings, personalities and politics of the
Lincoln administration.Every American
schoolboy or schoolgirl knows that Lincoln presided over the most difficult
period in American history save the George Washington era.Most know that he struggled with a series of
second rate generals until Grant emerged. And that he was tragically assassinated
just as the War Between the States ended.

But how many of us know that many of the cabinet members
opposed Lincoln in the primary?That
many of those thought he was unqualified for the office?That one of them – Salmon Chase – actually
tried to build support to oppose Lincoln in the 1864 election?Or that Lincoln’s opponent in 1864 was former
General McClelland, who so famously failed to take advantage of his superior
numbers early in the war.Or that the
Democratic Party had a substantial “peace wing” that was prepared to negotiate
an end to the war in 1864 that would not have required the freeing of slaves?Or that his first love was one Ann Rutledge,
who he undoubtedly would have asked to marry, however, she died very young,
sending young Lincoln into a deep lasting depression.He was in such despair that friends feared
for his life.

The book summarizes his early life, but really begins with
Lincoln as a young lawyer in Illinois, and tracks his career, which had
numerous, severe setbacks, through his very clever strategy to win the 1860
nomination, up to his assassination.My
admiration at Lincoln’s talents only grew as I read this work.I had no understanding of his deep political skills
but Goodwin brings out his knowledge of human nature, ability to connect to
people, and his careful analysis of the landscape that let him out-maneuver
rivals.The book is appropriately
subtitled The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln, with his plain appearance, lack of a formal
education (he was almost entirely self-taught, quite literally reading with
candlelight after long hard days of farm labor), from the humblest of
situations, was consistently underestimated by the press, rivals and even
foreign governments.To a certain extent
he probably used that to his advantage.Widely disparaged in the press and by political opponents as “that rail
splitter from Illinois” as the Presidential election unfolded, and even more in
the early days of his administration, by the end of the war, “rail splitter”
was a term of admiration and endearment.

Of course, as the title suggests, he was also able to
overlook, not just slights, but harsh, demeaning rhetoric from rivals to
recruit the best possible Cabinet ministers.(As an aside, one forgets how the Cabinet has exploded in membership –
his consisted only of a handful, including War, Interior, Treasury, Attorney
General, State and Postmaster General.It is probably time to downsize our current Cabinet).Many were reluctant recruits, believing that
they were far more qualified to be President than Lincoln.Over the next five years however, he earned
their respect, trust, and confidence and to a man they came to the realization
that he was one of the greatest Presidents.

One of the interesting facets of Abraham Lincoln was his
spirituality.He was clearly a Bible
scholar.His mother provided most of his
early education, in part by reading scripture.He was seen on numerous occasions, including during his Presidency,
studying his Bible, and could quote scripture – including some fairly obscure
passages, at will.We can assume that he
believed in God, however, it isn’t nearly so clear that he believed in an
afterlife.

To her credit, Ms. Goodwin does not speculate on what would
have happened in a Lincoln second term.He made it crystal clear that he was completely opposed to a vindictive
approach to the conquered South. His death put (only barely qualified) Andrew
Johnson into the office.One can
question whether there was anyone who could have stepped in to follow the
brilliant and immensely capable Lincoln and succeeded, but it certainly was not
Johnson.Lincoln’s death was a tragedy
for the country, quite possibly for two generations, as the incredibly corrupt
Reconstruction, rise of segregation and the Ku Klux Klan ensued.

When I read this kind of wide-ranging history, with
references to hundreds of diary entries, letters, speeches, etc. I marvel at
the time it must take to write such a work.Ms. Goodwin, in her notes, mentions 10 years of research.But she is not just a great researcher, she
is a great story teller.This could have
been dry and dull but it is the opposite – great history and a great read.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Interview of Eric Schmidt by Gary Hamel at the MLab dinner tonight. Google's Marissa Mayer and Hal Varian also joined the open dialog about Google's culture and management style, from chaos to arrogance. The video just went up on YouTube. It's quite entertaining. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Cover of The Future of ManagementMy list of must-read business
writers continues to expand.Gary Hamel,
however, author of What Matters Now, with the very long subtitle of
How to Win in a World of Relentless Change, Ferocious Competition, and
Unstoppable Innovation, has been on the list for quite some time.Continuing his thesis on the need for a new
approach to management introduced in his prior book The Future of Management,
Hamel calls for a complete rethinking of how enterprises are run.

Fundamental to his recommendation
is that the practice of management is ossified in a command and control system
that is now generations old and needs to be replaced with something that
reflects an educat…

Author Peter Andrey Smith titled his article on
the relationship of the brain to the intestines, and, in particular, the tiny
creatures that live in our intestine beautifully: “The tantalizing links between gut
microbes and the brain”. If the human brain is the frontier of medical science, the microbiome, those tiny
creatures that live in our intestinal tract, is Jupiter. The linkage between
what goes on in the gut and the brain is indeed tantalizing, and the subject of
research worldwide. There are over 1,000 different kinds of those things living
inside us. There are hints that having the wrong mix of gut microbes, or the
absence of any particular type, is linked to asthma, irritable bowel syndrome,
allergies, depression, Alzheimer’s disease and more. Further, antibiotics,
illnesses and other factors can deplete the population. Here are seven things we can do to help keep our little creatures
happy and healthy. Eat the right
stuff. There is evidence that the right diet helps keep …

A study just posted in Journal of Neuroscience describes the
importance of a good night’s sleep to controlling strong emotions, especially
fear.
Previous studies in this area attempted to discover what
happens in the brain after a frightful experience. These prior studies, for example, show how
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) affects sleep. A team at the Rutgers
University Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, led by Itamar
Lerner, has taken a different approach. They wanted to see if there is a
relationship between adequate sleep and prevention or management of the brain’s
reaction to subsequent stressful events. Research Team
Lerner is a Postdoctoral Fellow in sleep research. Along
with fellow researchers Neha Sinha-also doing Postdoctoral research-in her case
in brain imaging, Shira Lupkin and Alan Tsai, they used new technology that
allows mobile tracking of sleep habits over a period of time, not j…

About Me

Grew up in Memphis, worked my way through the local university, married my high school sweetheart - still married 42 years later. Played in a rock band, couldn't make a living, became a CPA. Raised two great sons. Moved all over the U.S. with different finance and management jobs. Now working with multiple start-ups as an investor and advisor.